Modern aircraft may utilize one or more turbofan propulsion systems powered by a gas turbine engine. The propulsion system may include a nacelle, which is a system of components that house the engine and its ancillary systems, and help form aerodynamic surfaces for flight, including a fan bypass air duct. Often, the nacelle includes a fan cowl which forms the outer portion of the nacelle in the area of the fan case. The fan cowl typically has two halves which may hinge open to provide access to the fan cowl and any components mounted on it, which sometimes includes a lube oil sump and pump, the computer for controlling the engine, etc. Similarly, nacelle thrust reversers may comprise two halves that are coupled via one or more hinges.
Latches have been used to latch the fan cowl halves and thrust reverser halves to each other, but these existing latches may suffer from various disadvantages or insufficiencies. For example, in the event that the latch is not manually engaged prior to engine operation, the fan cowl halves are not secured. The location of the latches may be obscured from quick visual inspection. Thus, it is possible for unlatched fan cowl halves to go unnoticed should the latches not be properly inspected, and an aircraft may takeoff with unlatched fan cowl halves. The fan cowl halves may separate from the nacelle during flight if the latches are not secured. Latch handles tend to be long, in part to provide an easily noticeable unlatched fan cowl. Additionally, the tolerance for gaps between the latch handle and the latch housing is small to decrease aerodynamic drag. However, even small angular tolerance is exacerbated by the length of the latch handle, which may cause the latch handle to contact the latch housing and cause damage to the housing or the handle.